Is it true that the current calendar includes a five-minute advance for the Fajr prayer and others?
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The questioner : May Allah reward you. Shaykh, we have heard that the current calendars include a five-minute advance for the Fajr prayer or others. What is the advice regarding this?
The Shaykh : The current calendar, the Umm al-Qura calendar, includes a five-minute advance for Fajr only. As for other prayers, there is no significant difference, only one or two minutes. Therefore, we see that it is obligatory for imams to take this into account in the Fajr adhan; they should delay it by five minutes. If they delay it by five minutes, it causes no harm. For example, if we assume the calendar is exactly on time for Fajr and a person delays by five minutes, it causes no harm. But if he advances by one minute, it is harmful, because if you say "Allahu Akbar" in the adhan before the time has entered, the adhan is not valid. So if a person watches the sun at sunset and calls the adhan while the sun's disk is still like a crescent, his adhan is not valid because it was before the time. How much more so if he calls the adhan five minutes early? You find some people, for example, waiting for when the adhan is called, then they pray immediately. It might be a sick person, or someone who is sleepy, or a woman who is confined, waiting for when the adhan is called. The important thing is for the mu'adhhdhins to delay the Fajr adhan by five minutes.
The questioner : And if he fears, Shaykh, from the people's words, for example?
The Shaykh : Five minutes will not lead to people's words, because it is not possible for the first to call the adhan and the last to be now. Between the mu'adhhdhins, some are ten minutes apart. And, my brother, the thing you do for Allah, do not fear anything other than Him. You do it for Allah, do not fear.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good
The Shaykh : Yes, yes, raise your voice.
The Shaykh : The current calendar, the Umm al-Qura calendar, includes a five-minute advance for Fajr only. As for other prayers, there is no significant difference, only one or two minutes. Therefore, we see that it is obligatory for imams to take this into account in the Fajr adhan; they should delay it by five minutes. If they delay it by five minutes, it causes no harm. For example, if we assume the calendar is exactly on time for Fajr and a person delays by five minutes, it causes no harm. But if he advances by one minute, it is harmful, because if you say "Allahu Akbar" in the adhan before the time has entered, the adhan is not valid. So if a person watches the sun at sunset and calls the adhan while the sun's disk is still like a crescent, his adhan is not valid because it was before the time. How much more so if he calls the adhan five minutes early? You find some people, for example, waiting for when the adhan is called, then they pray immediately. It might be a sick person, or someone who is sleepy, or a woman who is confined, waiting for when the adhan is called. The important thing is for the mu'adhhdhins to delay the Fajr adhan by five minutes.
The questioner : And if he fears, Shaykh, from the people's words, for example?
The Shaykh : Five minutes will not lead to people's words, because it is not possible for the first to call the adhan and the last to be now. Between the mu'adhhdhins, some are ten minutes apart. And, my brother, the thing you do for Allah, do not fear anything other than Him. You do it for Allah, do not fear.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good
The Shaykh : Yes, yes, raise your voice.